The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has participated in a high-level Maternal Mortality Roundtable aimed at fast-tracking Ghana’s efforts to reduce preventable maternal deaths.

The roundtable was convened by the Office of the President, through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Advisory Unit, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

It was held under the theme: “No Woman Should Lose Her Life to Give a Life: Presidential Initiative to Accelerate Reduction in Maternal Mortality in Ghana.”

The engagement brought together senior government officials, development partners, health experts, civil society organisations, as well as religious and traditional leaders to review Ghana’s maternal health outcomes and renew commitments toward urgent, coordinated action.

Addressing participants, Dr. Lartey underscored the gender and social protection dimensions of maternal mortality, stressing that efforts to save women’s lives must extend beyond health facilities to address issues of equity, accountability, and community-level action.

She called for stronger community accountability mechanisms to ensure maternal deaths are neither normalised nor concealed, but properly investigated, learned from, and prevented.

“History will not judge us by the speeches we deliver today, but by the lives we save through the path we take,” the Minister said, urging stakeholders to leave the roundtable with clear commitments, defined responsibilities, timelines, and accountability frameworks.

Dr. Lartey further emphasised that maternal health is not the sole responsibility of one ministry or institution, describing it as a shared moral duty that spans political leadership, religious and traditional authorities, and local communities.

“When women survive, children are born, families thrive, communities prosper, and nations grow,” she stated, adding that saving women’s lives is not an act of charity but a matter of justice and a true reflection of Ghana’s national values.